July 6, 2010

Peanut Butter Latte



You may, or may not, have noticed that I try and come up with clever titles for my posts. Why? Good question. I really don't have a good answer to it, however. I suppose I like to maintain some pretense of cleverness. A facade I'm in the process of tearing down right now, but I digress.

The fact is, there is not much I can think to say about this, other than the truth. I have wondered, for some time, how peanut butter would work in a latte.

It's thick, but not really more so than mocha or caramel sauce, both of which mix just fine in espresso and steamed milk.

It's not sweet like the usual syrups and sauces, however. At least, not very; most peanut butter is sweetened a tad.

Finally, I had the chance to try this concoction, which had previously only existed in my imagination. My new place of employment, Seattle's Best Coffee, has packs of peanut butter, lightly sweetened with honey, which are kept on hand for pretzels, bagels, and whatever other starches someone might fancy applying it to.

So my boss and I steamed up some whole milk. Or rather, she did. I should note that she did quite a nice job of it too. The texture was rich and thick, stretched to the point of a creamy consistency. The espresso was, well, what it is when it's pulled from an automatic machine. It's consistent, and quality. Those ingredients, by themselves, make a quality drink. I know, because I've had the combination.

But this time, there was peanut butter. The result, sadly, was neither blissful nor catastrophic. It added nothing to the texture, surprisingly. As far as flavor goes, little was gained. A slight nuttiness -- peanuttiness, you might even say.

Double the peanut butter, and perhaps a separate packet of honey, and the result may have been more noteworthy. Perhaps, another day.

Coffee, Black Coffee





James Bond may be the ultimate image of modern masculinity. While his sports car driving, rampant womanizing, world saving ways may have something to do with this, I choose to believe that it begins, like any day should, with breakfast.

For Bond, this is not a complicated matter. He breaks his fast with three scrambled eggs, served over one piece of lightly buttered toast. Simple, and yes, very British.

But while Bond's countrymen are most famous for drinking tea, the superspy eschews the beverage. In fact, he outright loathes it.

Instead, Bond starts every day with two cups of strong, black coffee, prepared in a Chemex brewer.

Of course, this is not to say that you ought to drink your coffee black as well. You can add all the sweetener (real or artificial) or cream(er) you like. Really, it's up to you. It is your cup of coffee, after all. Take ownership of it, prepare it how you like, and enjoy it.

No, you don't need to be like James Bond. But aspiring to perfection never hurt.